title: Alberta family physicians' willingness to work during an influenza pandemic: a cross-sectional study.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  Effective pandemic responses rely on frontline healthcare workers continuing to work despite increased risk to themselves. Our objective was to investigate Alberta family physicians willingness to work during an influenza pandemic.
  
  
  METHODS
  Cross-sectional survey.
  
  
  METHODS
  Alberta prior to the fall wave of the H1N1 epidemic.
  
  
  METHODS
  192 participants from a random sample of 1000 Alberta family physicians stratified by region.
  
  
  METHODS
  Willingness to work through difficult scenarios created by an influenza epidemic.
  
  
  RESULTS
  The corrected response rate was 22%. The most physicians who responded were willing to continue working through some scenarios caused by a pandemic, but in other circumstances less than 50% would continue. Men were more willing to continue working than women. In some situations South African and British trained physicians were more willing to continue working than other groups.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Although many physicians intend to maintain their practices in the event of a pandemic, in some circumstances fewer are willing to work. Pandemic preparation requires ensuring a workforce is available. Healthcare systems must provide frontline healthcare workers with the support and resources they need to enable them to continue providing care.
authors.affiliation: Department of Family Medicine, Research Office, G012, Health Sciences Centre, 3330 Hospital Drive NW, Calgary Alberta T2N 4N1, Canada. dickinsj@ucalgary.ca.
authors.forename: James A
authors.initials: JA
authors.lastname: Dickinson
authors.forename: Gisoo
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Bani-Adam
authors.forename: Tyler
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Williamson
authors.forename: Sandy
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Berzins
authors.forename: Craig
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Pearce
authors.forename: Leah
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Ricketson
authors.forename: Emily
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Medd